Saudi Arabia is grooming a royal rival in Qatar, the Trump administration’s latest diplomatic tour in the region has officials scratching heads, and officials are trying to give Iraqi Kurds a reason to postpone next month’s vote on secession.

Two weeks of protests appear to be ending in Jerusalem, France pushes through a ceasefire in Libya but peace remains elusive, Saudi Arabia and Qatar trade accusations of politicizing the pilgrimage to Mecca, and Lebanon’s Saad Hariri lobbies Washington.

A terrorist attack touched off a new round of clashes in Jerusalem, the United States has ended its clandestine support to rebels fighting the Assad regime, the Qatar crisis is having effects in Gaza and Yemen, and Trump wants a pretext to avoid recertifying the JCPOA in three months.

The Gulf crisis continues but new reports shed light on how it started, Israel was consulted on the Syria ceasefire but doesn’t like the outcome, and the United States recertifies Iran’s compliance with the JCPOA.